DocBook: http://www.se.clara.net/fedora/fedora-install-guide-0.4.0.tar.gz
HTML: http://www.se.clara.net/fedora/fedora-install-guide-en/index.html
- Emacs-ification of source files. - Rewrote Introduction. - Lots and lots of small alterations. --
Stuart Ellis s.ellis@fastmail.co.uk
--- Stuart Ellis s.ellis@fastmail.co.uk wrote:
DocBook:
http://www.se.clara.net/fedora/fedora-install-guide-0.4.0.tar.gz
HTML:
http://www.se.clara.net/fedora/fedora-install-guide-en/index.html
You might want to write a more cheerful and less technical introduction
End users typically might not under what open source or 64/32 bit systems means. Try throwing around words like user friendly, full blown office,suites, games and stuff if you are targetting newbies esp desktop users
2. Before You Begin
Might consider adding a note explaining the differences between these architectures and how they are supposed to identify which ones to download
one of the FAQ's is the minimum amount of cd's required cd's to complete the installation. so you can mention that a personal desktop only requires that first two cds and that you can use the minimum boot iso image to do a http/ftp installation here
potential questions to answer
what does dhcp mean?. how do I identify whether my network is using dhcp?
It might be worth moving this para to the section on network installation that follows
2.1. Installation on a Network
I suspect that more people install fedora on their home systems and not on a network. consider moving this section to the pages where you explain the network setup options
Chapter 1. Beginning the Installation
"Fedora Core does not support installation from diskettes."
I am not everyone would understand the term "diskettes" here. The explanation seems too technical and assumes that everyone would know what an RPM means for example..
Try this approach
1) Explain how to download and what to download and check the md5sum to verify that the download has been successful 2) How to write a CD image using to the disk 3) What are the types of installation and how to choose amoung them 4) what is the inventory of itmems that the end user is expected to know? 5) How do I allocate space and partition my system. whatis the recommended sizes. Would the installer be able to resize it?
The installation guide should give the critical information is small easy to understand steps right at the start and explain the more technical points at the relavant sections. Currently the flow reads more like a reference
1.3. Booting from the Network using PXE
what is PXE?
Chapter 2. Upgrading Over An Existing System
Would upgrading save my configuration and data? Is upgrading recommended over a clean installation?
"2.1.1. Upgrading Boot Loader Configuration"
explain that Fedora uses GRUB(Grand unified boot loader) as the default one.
dont mention LILO prominently. Just add a note. its depreciated and likely to confuse the users reading it as to the differences and the choice
Chapter 6. Network Configuration
a short note on what DHCP means technically would be nice..
6.1. Network Devices'
"clickEdit" should have a space between the words. an example of sample configuration information should be added
6.2. Computer Hostname
Home users typically need not worry about setting up a meaninful name and can choose one arbitrarily. it is also possible to change the hostname after the installation. reassure them of this
6.3. Miscellaneous Settings
whats a DNS?. technical note
7.2. SELinux
SE stands for Security Enhanced.
link to selinux faq
Chapter 10. Set Root Password
Windows users will typically understand "administrator" better than "special user"
"You have the opportunity to create a user account for yourself during the initial boot process."
how about this: "You have the oppurtunity to create a non administrative user account for normal tasks towards the end of the installation process"
the warning should also advise users against choosing easily identifiable personal information like a phone number of girl friend of the week as the password
Chapter 12. About to Install
the warning should also add that the users should press cancel or reboot? button to stop the installation if they dont want to continue
I will send my feedback on the appendix later
===== Regards Rahul Sundaram
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Since I'll be way for a while, it'll be some time before I can work through the comments and update the text. Thanks for (as always) a detailed set of feedback.
On Mon, 20 Dec 2004 16:26:03 -0800 (PST), "Rahul Sundaram" rahulsundaram@yahoo.co.in said:
You might want to write a more cheerful and less technical introduction
Definitely. I've written the Introduction twice and still don't like it much - it lacks energy. I came to the conclusion that much of the problem was focus - it has to clearly state what Fedora Core is and why the reader should be interested enough to spend two hours installing and setting it up.
End users typically might not under what open source or 64/32 bit systems means. Try throwing around words like user friendly, full blown office,suites, games and stuff if you are targetting newbies esp desktop users
When I thought about the the target audience I actually came to a different view. I admit this that this is entirely based on my experience and may be totally wrong, but FWIW here were my assumptions, in no particular order:
- The main audience for FC are people interested in IT. They may be enthusiasts, students or professionals. The last group include people involved in science and research but not necessarily trained in IT, although they use it heavily (I was surprised by the number of people involved in research and academia on the development list).
- We can safely assume some knowledge of Windows, but this is tricky because Windows enables people to do some technically complex things without being aware of the underlying technology. Linux tends to demand understanding before you can get things to work...
- We can't assume any knowledge of UNIX or Linux, even though a lot of people now have a little. Since a lot of Linux users are learning piecemeal, rather than through academic courses or job-releated training, you can't assume that a user will know any specific piece of information that isn't in the document.
- So the user will assume that any new thing that they aren't familiar will work like Windows.
- Computers, routers etc. are cheap enough that (in Europe anyway) anyone who wants a network will have one. A lot of the queries on LinuxQuestions relate to networks, and in many cases home networks. Interestingly this means that DHCP and network connectivity are nearly everywhere, stand-alone computers and static IPs are exceptional rather than the default.
- We can't make assumptions about hardware. As well as non x86 architectures, it's cheap enough to build a computer with multiple NICs, RAID etc. that a home machine can look like a corporate server if the user wants. There's enough surplus boxes around now that it might actually *be* an ex-corporate server.
- Since people also use Fedora for testing, development or just teaching themselves, the network may look like a corporate network as well, and may actually be a corporate or academic network (dorms, research and teaching labs etc.). This is why the Introduction has a note about not installing on an existing network without talking to the administrators...
- The balance of the questions etc. that I've seen suggest that Linux is primarily being used as a server, development platform or as a hobby. The primary desktop is probably still Windows, though this now seems to be shifting.
- We can't assume where they got FC from. In the UK newsagents stock dozens of magazines, and in a large town there will be Linux magazines in the computing section. Also Linux books in the bookshops. Most of these include discs with Linux distributions. The Government-sponsored academic network (JANet) maintains public mirrors of education-related software that are dominated by Linux. These are hit very heavily for days when new releases come out.
I've probably forgotten some. It'll be very interesting to see from the list feedback what the main areas of interest actually are. --
Stuart Ellis s.ellis@fastmail.co.uk
--- Stuart Ellis s.ellis@fastmail.co.uk wrote:
Since I'll be way for a while, it'll be some time before I can work through the comments and update the text. Thanks for (as always) a detailed set of feedback.
You are welcome. Try getting this doc updated and reviewed by a good number of people during the test cycle and well polished and ready for FC4.
Definitely. I've written the Introduction twice and still don't like it much - it lacks energy. I came to the conclusion that much of the problem was focus - it has to clearly state what Fedora Core is and why the reader should be interested enough to spend two hours installing and setting it up.
I found the gentoo guide pretty good reading and focussed for the set of users it was aiming for. Take a look
- The main audience for FC are people interested in
IT. They may be enthusiasts, students or professionals.
Well many users consider it a redhat linux replacement and they continue to use it that way.
- We can safely assume some knowledge of Windows,
but this is tricky because Windows enables people to do some technically complex things without being aware of the underlying technology. Linux tends to demand understanding before you can get things to work...
I doubt you can safely assume anything at all. I have seen a good number of people coming in from traditional unix systems with only heresay knowledge about Windows
- Computers, routers etc. are cheap enough that (in
Europe anyway) anyone who wants a network will have one. A lot of the queries on LinuxQuestions relate to networks, and in many cases home networks. Interestingly this means that DHCP and network connectivity are nearly everywhere, stand-alone computers and static IPs are exceptional rather than the default.
As a frequent posted to Linuxquestions.org I have found this to be true but please do add short notes explaining what DHCP and stuff means wherever applicable in the installation guide
- The balance of the questions etc. that I've seen
suggest that Linux is primarily being used as a server, development platform or as a hobby. The primary desktop is probably still Windows, though this now seems to be shifting.
We have shifted recently several of our office desktops from Windows to Fedora. I am using Fedora rawhide as my primary desktop!
I've probably forgotten some. It'll be very interesting to see from the list feedback what the main areas of interest actually are.
Now we are talking
===== Regards Rahul Sundaram
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